Originally, Gregorian was conceived as a more pop-oriented group in the vein of Enigma. Under this concept, they recorded the 1991 album Sadisfaction, with lead vocals provided by The Sisters of Oz: Susana Espelleta (Peterson's wife at the time) and Birgit Freud. However, this was the only album in that style.
In 1998, Peterson and his team Jan-Eric Kohrs, Michael Soltau and Carsten Heusmann re-invented the project to perform popular songs in the Gregorian style. The criteria for song selection were strict; in order to be considered, a song needed to be translatable into the 7-tone scale. For each album, songs were carefully chosen in addition to original songs written by Jan-Eric Kohrs, Amelia Brightman and Carsten Heussman. Twelve vocalists - previously acclaimed session and choir singers - were then hired to record the tracks.
Each Gregorian album is initially digitally tracked at Nemo Studios, Peterson's Hamburg studio. The vocalists then record their parts in a church atmosphere with dimmed lights and candles, in order to escape what Peterson referred to in a 2001 interview as the "cold and technical" studio atmosphere.
The concept proved to be successful, and the group proceeded to record several more Masters of Chant albums in the same style. Their 2004 album, The Dark Side, was a slight departure from the others, featuring a darker repertoire consistent with the title.
In 2005, The Masterpieces, a compilation album with a live DVD, was released. A fifth Masters of Chant album was released on 31 March 2006. In 2006, a festive album was also released, titled Christmas Chants. A sixth Masters of Chant album was released on 28 September 2007. In 2009 a seventh Masters of Chant album followed.
Gregorian in 2009
On 8 September 2010 the next album, titled The Dark Side of Chant, was announced to be published on 15 October 2010.
The members of the Gregorian choir group are Richard Naxton (Naxos), Johnny Clucas (Johnny), Chris Tickner (Chris T.), Richard Collier (Rich), Gerry O'Beirne (Gerry), Lawrence White (Lorro) and Rob Fardell (Rob F.).
Others who contribute to the vocals or sound of Gregorian are Sarah Brightman (under the pseudonyms Hepsibah or Sarah Hellmann), Amelia Brightman (Sarah Brightman's younger sister), Frank Peterson, and staff of Nemo Studio among others.
Ave Satani
Gregorian Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Corpus edibus
Sanguis bibimus
Corpus edibus.
Tolle corpus
Satani
Ave
Ave, ave versus Christus
Ave Satani
Sanguis bibimus
Corpus edibus
Tolle corpus
Satani, Satani, Satani
Ave, ave Satani.
The lyrics to Gregorian's song Ave Satani are in Latin and translate to "We drink the blood, we eat the flesh. We drink the blood, we eat the flesh. Lift up the body of Satan. Hail to you, Hail against Christ. Hail Satan. We drink the blood, we eat the flesh. Lift up the body of Satan, Satan, Satan. Hail, Hail Satan."
Interpreted literally, the lyrics imply a ritualistic practice of consuming blood and flesh, which could be interpreted as a reference to vampirism or cannibalism. However, given the context of the song - it was featured in the 1976 horror film The Omen, which tells the story of a child who is believed to be the Antichrist - it is more likely that the lyrics are meant to evoke the dark and sinister themes of the film. The phrase "Lift up the body of Satan" may also refer to the ascension of the Antichrist as the embodiment of evil.
The repeated use of the phrase "Hail Satan" in the chorus reinforces the religious imagery and emphasizes the sacrilegious nature of the song. It is important to note, however, that the lyrics do not necessarily reflect the beliefs or values of the artists who performed the song, and instead serve as a representation of the themes within The Omen.
Line by Line Meaning
Sanguis bibimus
We drink the blood
Corpus edibus
We eat the flesh
Sanguis bibimus
We drink the blood
Corpus edibus.
We eat the flesh.
Tolle corpus
Lift up the body
Satani
(to) Satan
Ave
Hail
Ave, ave versus Christus
Hail, hail the enemy of Christ
Ave, ave versus Christus
Hail, hail the enemy of Christ
Ave Satani
Hail Satan
Sanguis bibimus
We drink the blood
Corpus edibus
We eat the flesh
Tolle corpus
Lift up the body
Satani, Satani, Satani
(to) Satan, Satan, Satan
Ave, ave Satani.
Hail, hail Satan.
Contributed by Landon I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Abandoned Void
Sanguis. Bibimus. Drink the blood.
Corpus. Edimus. We eat the body.
Tolle corpus Satani. Raise the body of Satan.
Ave. Hail!
Ave, Ave Hail, hail
Versus Christus Avert the power of Christ
Ave Satani Hail Satan
Antichristos would be used, not Versus Christus, despite being Greek in origin. These loan words were somewhat common when using Biblical Latin, which was the standard in Gregorian chants and what the original song was mimicking. I'm not sure if this is a transliteration error on the part of the original songwriter, or if this is an intentional aesthetic choice. It's most likely an error, as there are a few grammatical problems here. It would either be "Sanguis bibe" as a command, drink the blood, or "sanguinem bibimus" to say that "we drink the blood." It's a bizarre note that it goes from "We eat the body" into demanding somebody else "Raise the body of Satan," as this seems a bit out of place, but not enough that it's improper. It's also worth noting that the song stems from a Christian attempt at making a sort of reverse Christianity, which isn't entirely accurate to Satanism but makes way more sense in the context of Satan being evil in the movie given that that itself is a Christian interpretation.
Rewritten to get rid of the kinks:
Sanguinem bibimus! We drink the blood
Corpus edimus! We eat the body
Tolle corpus Sathanā. Raise the body of Satan.
Ave! Hail!
Ave, Ave Hail, Hail
Antichristos, The Antichrist,
Ave Sathanā! Hail Satan!
You know, in case you're a nerd like me and you care about Latin.
Vagrant37D
This is the ring tone on my phone!!! The expression on a person's face when they hear it is classic.
Gary Temes
How did u save to the phone?
Märchen vonFreihait
AAAAAAAH IS BEAUTIFUL!!!!! I LOVE THIS VERSION!!!! Ave Ave Santani Ave.
Anfitras
1:30 Why is this specific part so catchy, I've replayed it like 10 times now (particularly the first "Ave! Ave Versus Christus!")
Bhb The Don
It's the way it speeds up for me 😈😎
Тайлис Тэлери
Great band! Most of their covers are great. I like their "Dark" albums especially.
Dead Hand
I will memorize this whole song, and sing it at will.
Mountaineer Paul Talks Football
So...10 years later...did you?
syntaxius
my FAVORITE christmas song :)
Christian Hurtado Flores
La mía también 😅